(1) FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fish paste product, particularly to a boiled fish paste ("Kamaboko" in Japanese) which is similar to crab meat leg or claw meat in both appearance and its effect upon the palate.
(2) DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Fish paste products resembling crab meat have been developed in Japan because of the increased price of crab products that has accompanied slump of the northern-sea fishery in recent years, and because of the desirability for enlarged market of the fish paste products such as Kamaboko, etc. through a noble high value-added products. Nevertheless, it had to be admitted, that these finished products were far from actual crab leg meat since prior development of these products has been aimed primarily at obtaining similarlity in appearance only and facilitating the production process.
More specifically, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-35143 and No. 56-38187, in the manufacture of the conventional crab-meat-type fish paste products, fibrous fish meat materials cut in the form of thin noodles are placed lengthwise, bundled together, and then cut crossways to obtain desired lengths. The resultant products are simple in structure with all the fibers arranged longitudinally. When consumed, the feel in one's mouth is similar to that of fibrous meats, but because of the long fibers, when chewed without severing them, the stringiness of the fibers makes the product unpleasant to eat. Neither is it possible to produce the texture of the actual crab leg meat, which consists of a combination of short fibers.
Further, if used unbound, because they are long fibers, they can not be directly used in vinegared side dishes or, salads unless cut up. There are also some products in which short fiber materials cut into thin fibers form a product wherein the fibers are arranged in random directions. Since their structure is such that the short fibers are combined in the various directions and states, when consumed they produce virtually none of the fibrous feel in the mouth of actual crab leg meat although they are crisp. And inasmuch as the product can not be used unbound, its use is limited.
The inventors have studied the above mentioned disadvantages of the conventional crab-meat-type fish paste products and, as a result, and proposed a product as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-15670. This was an attempt to obtain a completely novel fish paste product through attention to the fiber structure of the actual crab leg meat. In products of this type, however, the individual short fibrous meats are not completely separated but combined in part, and then bundled together in this interconnected state to form the product. The result is the same as if a number of lines had been cut into the product. Strictly speaking, the individual pieces of fish pastes are not in a short fiber state. When eaten the boiled fish meats must be torn up in the mouth. Where they are connected, the special feel is lost of crab meat which tears naturally along its fibers, its bundled fibrous meats gradually coming loose in the mouth.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a crab-meat-type fish paste product with short fibers arranged diagonally in the longitudinal direction of the product, which possesses the appearance and fibrous feel of actual crab leg meat, tears easily in the direction of fibers when eaten as is, and can also be utilized in an unbound state, thereby increasing its practical applicability.